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Dimensions of Legitimate Rights

Human rights can be classified as constitutional, fundamental, basic, legal, political, economic and what not? The government works for the betterment of the state and its citizens. In India, citizens have constitutional rights but within reasonable restrictions due to composite culture and national consciousness. Legislature acts as custodian of law whereas judiciary is vested with custodian of constitution. We have witnessed right to property from constitutional and political right turning into legal right through amendment. Right to fair compensation and transparency is within relevant acts. We have also seen in recent times right to information, right to education for children through acts. Constitutional amendment has ensured right to association and networking in selected cases. Individuals and affected persons are granted rights by the judiciary through creativity. Judiciary is also known for activism and overreach apart from constitutional review power. Thus, judiciary has also been active in recent times for promoting right to peaceful protests, right to privacy and right to choose through rulings. These rights should be applicable not only in official languages but in all recognized languages at least. Right to public service is for selected people who may be public servants with defined public duty. Similarly, right to food, right to health and rights of the disabled are within the domain of human rights commission. We have long way to go achieve rights like right to nature, right to be forgotten about and right to behave in certain manner which are constitutional in other countries. Even the UK, which does not have written constitution and id dependent upon conventions has charter for rights in the nation. United Nations supports right to water and right to sanitation. Rights should be rights for everyone, irrespective of economic status, position and prestige. Right to work, to education and for public assistance in certain cases for citizens is limited if it does not lead to declaration of rights of the man or precisely, liberty, equality and fraternity which are guaranteed by the constitution. Rights, if legitimate should exist in all languages and for all and in India, at least in all recognized languages and they have their own importance and that is how UN declaration of human rights remain the document translated in most languages, over 500. Let us usher in new era of legitimate rights and utilize them for development dimensions rather than for petty self interests.